Fiber tray

ABSTRACT

A fiber tray for managing and organizing fiber distribution is disclosed. The fiber tray includes a housing and a drawer received in the housing. The housing is secured to an equipment rack. The housing includes inner sides with a glide mechanism extending the length of each inner side. The glide mechanism includes a first end and a second end. The glide mechanism also includes at least one curved path located at one of the first end and the second end. The drawer includes a bottom, a first side, a second side, a front and a back. The first and second sides of the drawer have a pin. The pins extending from the sides of the drawer slide within the glide mechanism to enable the drawer to be retracted, extended or removed from the housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/941,489, filed on Nov. 8, 2010, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/260,680, filed on Nov. 12, 2009. The subject matter of each of the patent applications listed above is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a fiber tray, and more particularly to a glide mechanism for a drawer in a fiber tray.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fiber trays are designed to manage and organize fiber distribution in areas where space is limited. The fiber trays include housings installed on a rack. A drawer extends from the housing to provide access to the cables routed therein. A fully installed drawer, however, is difficult to maintain in an extended position due to the weight of the fibers and fiber management accessories installed on the drawer. Also, drawers that do not positively stop can cause damage to the fiber if the drawer is unintentionally removed. Thus, it would be desirable to install a drawer that is capable of remaining in an extended position.

Often, it is necessary to remove the drawer for cable management and to reinstall the drawer. Some drawers are difficult to remove or are permanently fixed to a housing which does not provide enough space for fiber installation. Thus, it would also be desirable for a drawer to be easily removed from the housing and to be easily reinstalled in the housing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A fiber tray that manages and organizes fiber distribution is disclosed. The fiber tray includes a housing and a drawer received in the housing. The housing is secured to a rack. The housing includes inner sides with a glide mechanism that extends the length of each inner side. The glide mechanism includes a first end and a second end. The glide mechanism also includes at least one curved path located at one of the first end and the second end. The drawer includes a bottom, a first side, a second side, a front and a back. The first and second sides of the drawer have a pin that slides within the glide mechanism. The glide mechanism enables the drawer to slide between a retracted position and a fully extended service position. The glide mechanism also enables the drawer to be removed from the housing and to be reinstalled in the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fiber tray installed on a section of a rack;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fiber tray of FIG. 1 with a drawer fully extended from the housing;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the drawer and housing of FIG. 2 with the top of the housing removed;

FIG. 4A is a side perspective view of the glide mechanism of the present invention to be installed on the inner sides of the housing of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4B is a partial perspective view of a side of the drawer of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the drawer installed in the housing of FIG. 1 with the top of the housing removed;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the drawer installed in the housing taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the drawer of FIG. 5 in an extended position;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the drawer of FIG. 5 in a service position;

FIG. 9 is a detailed view of the drawer of FIG. 8 with the hinge pin engaging a primary stopping wall in the glide mechanism;

FIG. 10 is a detailed view of the drawer similar to FIG. 9 with the hinge pin at a second end of the curved path of the glide mechanism;

FIG. 11 is a detailed view of the drawer similar to FIG. 9 with the hinge pin at a first end of the curved path of the glide mechanism; and

FIG. 12 is a detailed view of the drawer of FIG. 9 removed from the housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a fiber tray 20 including a housing 32 secured to a rack 30. A drawer 40 extends from the housing 32. The drawer 40 is a sheet metal drawer with a bottom 42, a right or first side 44, a left or second side 46, a front 48 and an open rear or back 50. Each side 44, 46 of the drawer 40 includes a hinge pin 52. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the hinge pins 52 are located near the rear 50 of each side 44, 46 of the drawer 40. Each hinge pin 52 is a self-clinching hinge pin.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a glide mechanism 60 is positioned along the inner sides 36 of the housing 32. The glide mechanisms 60 are secured to the inner sides 36 of the housing 32 via fasteners 38. The glide mechanisms 60 enable the drawer 40 to slide between a retracted position and a fully extended service position. The glide mechanisms 60 also enable the drawer 40 to easily be removed from the housing 32 and to be reinstalled in the housing 32, as desired.

As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the glide mechanism 60 includes a primary stopping wall 66, a secondary restraining wall 68 and a curved path 70 at each end 62, 64 of the glide mechanism 60. The curved path 70 is generally C-shaped with a first open end 72 and a second end 74. A projection or bump 76 is located at the first open end 72 of the curved path 70. The projection 76 is for controlling the drawer 40 when removed or installed in the housing 32.

A vertical path 78 extends from the second end 74 of the curved path 70 to a straight path 80. The straight path 80 extends from the primary stopping walls 66 at each end 62, 64 of the glide mechanism 60 connecting the curved paths 70 in the glide mechanism 60.

The primary stopping wall 66 of the glide mechanism 60 forces the drawer 40 to stop once it is fully extended from the housing 32 before the drawer 40 can be removed from the housing 32. The secondary restraining wall 68 prevents the drawer 40 from accidentally slipping into the curved path 70 before the drawer 40 comes to a stop. The generally C-shaped curved path 70 limits unintentional movement of the drawer 40. Thus, the primary stopping wall 66, secondary restraining wall 68 and curved path 70 provide a mechanism that controls and maintains the movement of the drawer 40. As a result, a separate locking mechanism is not required to maintain the drawer 40 in the extended or retracted positions.

The symmetry feature of the glide mechanism 60 allows the glide mechanism 60 to be used on either the left side or the right side of the housing 32. Since only one glide mechanism design is required, the cost of providing the glide mechanisms 60 in the fiber tray 20 is reduced.

FIGS. 5-6 illustrate the drawer 40 in a retracted position. The hinge pins 52 extending from the sides 44, 46 of the drawer 40 are located in the straight path 80 at a second end 64 of the glide mechanism 60.

FIG. 7 illustrates the drawer 40 in a fully extended position. The hinge pins 52 extending from the sides 44, 46 of the drawer 40 are located in the straight path 80 at a first end 62 of the glide mechanism 60. As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the drawer 40 is fully extended, the drawer 40 will tilt downward to a service position and lock in place due to the effect of gravity on the drawer 40. The hinge pins 52 engage the primary stopping wall 66 to stop the drawer 40 and prevent the drawer 40 from falling or sliding out of the glide mechanism 60. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the bottom 42 of the drawer 40 rests on the housing 32.

FIGS. 10-12 illustrate the drawer 40 being removed from the housing 32. To remove the drawer 40, the user guides the drawer 40 so that the hinge pins 52 follow the curved path 70 in the glide mechanism 60.

The process of installing the drawer 40 into the housing 32 is the opposite of the removal of the drawer 40. The user lines up the hinge pins 52 with the first end 72 of the curved path 70 of the glide mechanism 60. Next, the drawer 40 is moved such that the hinge pins 52 slide along the curved path 70 until the hinge pins 52 reach the second end 74 of the curved path 70. At that point the drawer 40 is level and the hinge pins 52 drop down the vertical path 78 into the straight path 80 of the glide mechanism 60. Then, the drawer 40 may be pushed back into the housing 32 along the straight path 80 to the retracted position.

Thus, the glide mechanism 60 of the present invention facilitates the removal and the installation of a drawer 40 in the housing 32.

Furthermore, while the particular preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the teaching of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art. 

1. A glide mechanism for a fiber tray, the glide mechanism comprising: a glide pin; a first linear glide path for receiving the glide pin, the first linear glide path extending along a first longitudinal glide axis; a second linear glide path for receiving the glide pin, the second linear glide path connected to the first linear glide path and extending along a second longitudinal glide axis; and a third linear glide path for receiving the glide pin, the third linear glide path connected to the second linear glide path and extending along a third longitudinal glide axis, wherein the second linear glide path is intermediate the first linear glide path and the third linear glide path, wherein the third longitudinal axis is oblique relative to the first longitudinal axis.
 2. The glide mechanism of claim 1, wherein the second longitudinal glide axis is perpendicular to the first longitudinal glide axis.
 3. The glide mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a non-linear glide path for receiving the glide pin, the non-linear glide path connected to the third linear glide path.
 4. The glide mechanism of claim 3, further comprising a fourth linear glide path for receiving the glide pin, the fourth linear glide path connected to the non-linear glide path and extending along a fourth longitudinal glide axis.
 5. The glide mechanism of claim 4, wherein the non-linear glide path is intermediate the third linear glide path and the fourth linear glide path.
 6. The glide mechanism of claim 5, wherein the fourth longitudinal glide axis is parallel to the first longitudinal axis. 